For When I am Gone
by j-drive
Summary: Two-shot. Ready to avenge a close friend's death, Nico decides he's ready to fight the giant responsible for it. Kind of Heroes of Olympus fanfic, too. T for angst and blood and what-not. Please R&R, I promise, it's better than it sounds.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Just a short one-shot.**

**I was super bored.**

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><p>Nico glanced up, his breath coming in short gasps, forming small white clouds of steam in the frigid air. His clothes were tattered, splattered with golden ichor and his own scarlet blood. He was in a dark cavern that Gaea had sucked him into. Bleached bones and melted shadows were the only evidence of the spirits and skeletons Nico had summoned before. Agrios, one of the giants returned to the earth by Mother Earth, stood before him, at least 10 feet taller, not showing the least sign of weakening.<p>

Even after almost 2 hours of non-stop fighting.

Agrios was slender and short, compared to the other giants, but that didn't stop him from being an exceptionally good fighter. He fought with two long swords wreathed with black flames. They were so excruciatingly cold that whatever touched them burned and the air around them was freezing. The sweat on Nico's brow was frozen solid to his clammy skin. Agrios wore a black pinstriped suit and a dark-red tie, like he was going to a formal ball or something. (It made one wonder how he'd even acquired a suit that large.) Even though Nico had been trying his best to tire Agrios out, he still looked ready to take his giant date out to the Winter Dance, despite the numerous small scratches in the silk cloth and his skin.

It pissed Nico off.

Agrios wiped the sweat off of his forehead, smiling, and tutted. "Nico, Nico. Son of Hades. Tiring already?"

"You wish." Nico snarled, hefting his own, black blade up. But it seemed too heavy all of a sudden, and it was getting harder and harder to swing. He had absolutely no energy left to use his Underworld powers. He was relying on only his sword-fighting skills.

"So idiotic," Agrios sighed, looking genuinely concerned. "Tell you what, half-blood. If you surrender now, I promise your death will be quick." He snapped his fingers to emphasize his point.

"T-They're coming," Nico panted, "They'll find us and then you're dead."

"Actually, I think _you're_ dead."

Quick as lightning, the giant shot forwards, sweeping his blades with a lethal grace. Nico didn't have much time to admire his form, and he fell back to avoid the fatal blows. Leaping over the swords he tried to slice at least a hand off, but Agrios kicked him back.

Pain exploded in Nico's chest as he was blown backwards. He felt blood in his mouth and dripping out of his mouth. Every breath felt like a kick in his stomach. Something was broken.

_Several_ somethings.

He struggled to get to his feet, but his legs wouldn't obey.

_No way!,_ he thought with anger, _Not now! Not NOW!_

Agrios laughed.

"Little demigod, so helpless." In a few short strides he was standing over the son of Hades. He stabbed down with one of his blades, and pain flared as the edge grazed Nico's neck deeply. Blood seeped out slowly, but was quickly frozen by the black flames surrounding the metal. Nico bit his tongue to stop from screaming when the ice crawled over his skin. He felt the flesh touching the metal of the sword burning with cold. Agrios was just waiting for the ice to consume his entire body.

Nico struggled to stay conscious. He only had to wait until Percy and the others found him. He'd been so stupid to try to fight Agrios on his own! Why had he done it? Why had he tried?

_Because he killed her_... Nico blinked tears away. _Because he killed Hazel_. He still remembered when he'd first seen her. He'd met up with Annabeth and those three new half-bloods, and gone over to the West Coast to find Percy. Jason's friends had been there... and Hazel had been there. Daughter of Trivia. Daughter of Hecate.

She had had the most beautiful eyes. They'd been bright green, until Agrios had run her through with her swords.

Then, they's become dull, the color of stone, simply a discoloration of the statue of ice and flesh she'd become.

Forever frozen in a cry of help, reaching out to Nico. Forever frozen in time, so he couldn't even reach her in death.

_She had had the most beautiful eyes..._

Suddenly, contrary to the cold embrace he was in, a surge of red-hot anger washed through him, breaking the spell he was in. Nico threw Agrios off, knocking away his sword, ignoring the burned bruise it left on the back of his hand.

"You're still alive?" Agios asked, childishly disappointed. "Oh, well, no matter."

In a wordless surge of rage Nico screamed, running forward with his sword ready to slice Agrios to bits.

For the next several moments, Nico and Agrios were locked in sword-to-sword combat. Each blow Nico delivered was backed by pent up anguish and hatred, bitterness from always being the last one out, at being the one in the shadows, the son of Hades; agony from the death of his sister, the only one he'd been close to; vehemence because of the loss of Hazel, his best friend, the only one who'd listened, who cared.

The smile on Agrios' quickly turned in a grimace of concentration and frustration. More and more of Nico's strikes were getting through his defences, scoring deep gashed through cloth and flesh.

Nico felt his senses overloading with adrenaline.

There!

Nico caught an opening in Agrios' swings. He took the chance, lunging foward-

Only to impale himself on one of Agrios' swords. It was only shock in the beginning. It was always shock in the beginning. Though blurry vision he could see Agrios smiling, white teeth flashing.

Everything seemed de-attached, so he could barely tell when Agrios jerked his blade out of his stomach and he fell to the floor. Blood pooled out of his wound, sluggish and slow, cold from the inside out.

Then, the pain came, torturous, blinding. His body seized with it, and he could barely breathe.

He tried to pushed himself back up, but Agrios kicked him back down. _Crack_!

Crap, something broke again.

"You're so squirmy," Agrios smiled, stamping down on one of Nico's legs. With a sickening _snap_! his leg broke. Nico cried out in pain, tears streaming down his face.

"I'll just wait until you bleed out," Agrios said, crouching down next to Nico's head, looking at him straight in the eye. "You know what I find so humorous? Before, in the first Giant War, I fought your father. Hades. I crushed him, but then the Fates beat me. They clubbed me to death, and right before I died, I saw my own death, the second one. I saw that you, a puny little son of Hades, would finally send me to Tartarus forever, but obviously, you won't be killing anyone anytime soon!" He roared with laughter, and it echoed in Nico's ears. Blackness was crowding his vision, and everything seemed to be happening from a distance. "I'll kill the Fates myself, and then there will be no fate anymore. I will make my own destiny, just like I've made mine here, and I'll govern everyone's future. Mother Gaea will give me that, at least-"

He was cut off as a spear flew out of nowhere and embedded itself into the giant's stomach. He stumbled backwards in surprise.

Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, Jason, Leo, and Piper had arrived.

Too late.

"Ignorant heroes!" Agrios bellowed, closing a fist around Jason's electric spear and jerking it out. "You cannot hope to be-" He choked off his sentence and looked down, eyes widening. Nico had propelled himself up with his final remnants of strength and driven his sword into the giant's throat. Golden ichor flowed down the sword and drenched Nico's hand, burning it. A shade of Hades, a shadow of his essence, supported his son, helping him up, keeping his arm from shaking, stopping his legs from buckling. The others gasped in shock. Agrios gurgled, ichor spilling out of his mouth, and shuddered once, twice, before falling limp on Nico's sword, dead.

_Good job, son_, Nico imagined he heard, Hades' shadow murmuring in his ear before sinking into the floor. The world tilted strangely, and without warning, Nico realized he was collapsed on the floor, slowly fading away.

He knew now... it was over. He'd lost too much blood. He had no energy left. He'd dipped into the forbidden reserves of his life force when summoning his father's shade, and now he was going to...

"Nico!" He vaguely heard Annabeth yell. He felt warm hands roll him over so he was facing the ceiling. It was only a ceiling, a stone sky. He wished he could see the stars one last time. His sister, too, had died in a closed room, with only a metal roof to look up at. It must have been a curse for the children of Hades, to die underground, to die in their own underworld.

His darkening vision was filled with familiar faces. Percy. Annabeth. Thalia. Jason. Leo. Piper. And one that seemed to float above them, the smiling face of Hazel, her bright green eyes peering into his soul.

"Nico!" Percy said, fumbling in his back for ambrosia and nectar, "What the _hell_ were you thinking? Taking on a giant all by yourself-!"

"Don't." Nico croaked out, surprised he could still talk. He pushed Percy's hand away. "T-This isn't anything a-ambrosia can fix..."

"What are you talking about, man?" Leo urged, eyebrows furrowed in worry. "Just hold on- We'll get you out of here."

"Hold on, Nico," Percy told him, his face going in and out of focus. "Nico, I made a promise to your sister! I can't protect you if you- Nico! Come on!" Nico realized he'd closed his eyes. Funny, he couldn't tell anymore, it was all so dark.

Then, instead of Hazel in front of him, it was Bianca, her eyes sad and forlorn.

_You did well, Nico,_ she said, smiling sadly, _Dad and Mom are really proud of you._

_You think so? _he asked, suddenly an eleven-year old again, gripping onto Bianca's hand tightly, in the other hand, holding onto his favorite Mythomagic figurine.

_I know you did. Now, come on, it's time to go. Dad's waiting._

_Dad?_ Nico looked at the figurine in his hand, a small plastic replica of Hades.

"I'm coming... Bianca..." Nico murmured, feeling his body go limp. Very faintly he could hear his friends yelling at him.

"No way, Nico, stay with us! Wake up! You can go to Bianca some other time!"

"I only wish... I could stay... longer..._" _he breathed, feeling his blood pool around his hands.

_I wish so, too, Nico_, Bianca replied, looking at him. _But it's time to go_.

_Eleven-year old Nico looked at Bianca with shining eyes. "Okay!" he said excitedly, dropping his Mythomagic figurine to go join up with his older sister._

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><p><strong>AN: Don't worry, next chapter soon to be revealed.**

**In the meantime, REVIEW please, for more!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Last chapter!**

**Maybe... :D**

**I'm thinking of making this longer into a full story. Please review and tell me your opinions ^^~**

**Thank you so much for reading this! Especially to my reviewers!**

**And I'm sorry my info isn't accurate- I hadn't read Son of Neptune when I started this.**

**I'm now on official hiatus.**

**DISCLAIMER: I will never ever own Percy Jackson.  
><strong>

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><p>"Nico! Nico!" Percy felt tears prickle the back of his eyes as Nico's eyes closed and his body went limp. Not Nico. Please not Nico...<p>

He hung his head and cried freely. He'd lost too many friends over the years. He'd promised Bianca...

He'd _promised_.

Annabeth was also crying, covering her mouth with her hand to prevent her sobs from escaping.

Thalia was in shock, staring at Nico's body with horror. Jason and the others hadn't known Nico that well, but they still mourned. Leo's and Jason's expressions were downcast, still not comprehending the death of one of their comrades. Piper wiped away tears, biting her lip.

"Get out of the way," Jason suddenly said brusquely, elbowing the others away and placing both hands over where Nico's heart was.

"Hey, wh-"

Jason sent a jolt of electricity into Nico's chest, causing the body to jerk up once. Smoke rose up as the son of Zeus briefly put his ear to Nico's heart, frowned, and electrocuted him again. Percy's eyes widened as Nico shuddered and started breathing again shallowly, blood pooling from his wounds.

"Jason, you're amazing!" Piper cried out, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend and kissing him soundly on the mouth.

"It won't last," he warned, a little red-faced. "We have to get him to a-"

"On it!" Percy said, still in shock. Nico wasn't dead. It wasn't over yet. He ripped off a strip of Nico's tattered shirt and created a make-shift bandage. He hauled the younger boy up and flung him over his shoulder as gently as he could under the circumstances.

It was time to call a ship.

_So cold..._

_What was going on?_

_Nico was floating, suspended in an endless white limbo. Bianca was standing in front of him, smiling at him with her eternally sad eyes, reaching out with her hands._

_She wanted him to follow. He reached out his own hand, hesitating at the last second. The past 4 years his sister had only been an apparition. His hand would just go through hers, and they would never touch-_

_"Come on, silly," Bianca giggled, grasping his hand in hers, her touch warm and comforting. Nico gasped in shock._

_Suddenly, without warning, there was a blinding pain in his midsection and he doubled over, his hand slipping from hers. His left leg also exploded in pain, and it was all he could do to not buckle.__The emptiness around him flashed between two settings of bright white and blots of color that focused every once in a while.__ Was it just him, or was Bianca... flickering?  
><em>

_"NO!" he yelled, tears streaming down his face. "I can't lose you again!"_

_"N...Nico..." she said faintly."Y-You're fading..."_

_The colors that flashed like lighting around him started to condense into recognizable shapes. A table. A bed. Windows. Every time it switched Bianca blinked out of view._

_"Bianca!"_

_"Little brother," she murmured, reaching out with her hand again. "You can come... Or... don't have... stay..." It was getting harder and harder to understand what she was saying._

"NICO! STAY WITH US!"

_Reality began to take hold of him. He caught a glimpse of the brightest green._

_Hazel?_

_Now Bianca was really fading, transparent and foggy.  
><em>

_"No! Bianca! Come back!" He flung his hand out wildly in hopes of reaching her, but his hand just passed through hers. "Bianca!" he sobbed._

_"Nico. It isn't... your time... later..." She smiled again, pulling her hand back. "Remember... love... you... Nico..."_

_"Bianca! Bianca!"_

"BIANCA!"

Nico sat up suddenly, chest heaving, lungs burning for air.

"Jeez-!" Percy lurched backwards in the chair he'd been in, keeping Nico company. He managed to stay upright while his chair clattered to the floor. "Nico! You woke up!" His brilliant green eyes were wide in surprise.

Nico felt the dull fever in his cheeks and the pounding in his head. He was alive. He was alive.

Surely that was a good thing, right?

"Percy... Bianca was... Percy-" Nico's voice cracked and he was taken aback by the sudden presence of tears in his eyes.

"Nico..." Percy hugged the younger boy tightly, not realizing how worried sick he'd been, repressing tears of his own. He understood.

They stayed like that for several moments, and then extracted themselves from each other's embrace.

"You're okay, now."

"I wish," Nico muttered, feeling the tight bandages wound around his torso and the heaviness of the cast on his leg.

"Hey!" They turned around to face Annabeth, standing in the doorway of the infimary. "You're awake! Thank goodness-" she strode over and gave Nico a big hug, eliciting a wince from the younger boy. "I was so worried..." Nico heard her sniff and hoped she wouldn't cry.

"Oh, by the way, Nico," she said suddenly, pulling away and rubbing her eyes, "Leo has a surprise for you. A 'welcome-back-from-almost-dying' present, I guess."

"What?"

Together, Percy and Annabeth helped Nico to his feet, giving him a pair of crutches to hobble on. "He's out in front of the Big House."

There, Leo was standing in front of something glistening, dripping.

Nico gasped and almost fell backwards in shock.

It was Hazel.

Hazel...

Frozen.

"Leo, what are you doing-!"

"Quiet!" he retorted. Looking closer, Nico could see beads of sweat dripping down his skin, his face twisted in pain and concentration.

"What's happening?" Nico whispered.

"Leo found Hazel's... body- and he wants to melt it," Piper answered.

"What!"

"If he melts it, the worst that can happen is if Hazel really dies and goes to the Underworld. Then, she won't be frozen in time anymore. But Leo's taking a huge risk. He can end up only partially melting it, or killing himself."

Leo put his hands on Hazel's shoulders, and tendrils of smoke began to waft off of his body. His skin started glowing with a hot-red color; he opened his eyes, and he burst into flames. Nico had to look away to prevent becoming permanently blind from the brightness. The afterimage burned his retinas, but when his vision settled, his eyes grew wide.

Leo was swaying in front of Hazel's unfrozen, still body.

"I think..." Leo fell, and Nyssa dove forward to catch her half-brother, wincing as Leo's hot skin burned her. "I guess fire-users are capable of not wreaking mass destruction, right?..." he murmured, falling unconscious.

"Leo..."

"Hazel!" Nico stumbled forward, abandoning his crutches to kneel painfully on the grass next to her. "Hazel!" He felt tears falling from his eyes, and he wiped them away with frustration. "Hazel!"

"N...Nico?" her eyes blinked open, the greenest of greens, and looked back at him. She sat up slowly. "Why... are you crying?"

"No... No reason..." he sobbed, wrapping his arms around her, joyful to feel her warm skin next to his.

"I'm just glad you're okay, sis."

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><p><strong>Okay, that's it! Tell me if you liked it or not, and if you want me to expand it. However, I'm going on OFFICIAL temporary HIATUS for a couple of weeks.<strong>

**Sorry for any wrong info/OOCness.**

**THANKS FOR READING! :D**


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